


Cracking armor

by villager_bxx



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 17:02:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6432868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/villager_bxx/pseuds/villager_bxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a lot harder to keep up a calm face when you're around Bokuto so much</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cracking armor

**Author's Note:**

> this was partially supposed to be a second chapter or add on to my other bokuaka fic on here 'All you need to do is ask' and is about as old as it even though i only recently finished this but it also worked as a stand alone too so thats how im posting it

Despite popular belief, Akaashi’s poker face didn’t come naturally to the setter.

In fact throughout the day, it was actually pretty difficult to keep it up more times than not. While he wasn’t exactly unpopular in his own class he seemed to attract no real attention either. No one particularly went it of their way to socialize with him nor had they made it a point to ignore him. But he found that whenever something happened and he showed any emotion beside apathy he’d always get a surprised look from someone.

He wasn’t always like that. During Akaashi’s first year at Fukurodani academy he was about as outwardly expressive as any other first year. When the time came to choose a club to join it wasn’t difficult for him to choose volleyball after having done the sport through most of middle school it was only natural he’d continue in high school.

The first club meeting wasn’t unlike the one middle school. The first years would say their name, middle school, and position if they had one they were accustomed to. The third years seemed nice enough and the second years weren’t much different but when it came to spiking practice and he and the third year starting setter were called up to toss to the other members there was one spiker who had been purposely avoiding getting into his line.

When he asked the captain if that was done on purpose the second year wing spiker had been called over immediately and was assigned to be Akaashi’s practice partner for the rest of practice for the day.

The spiker, a boy who was a bit taller than Akaashi himself with a fairly strong build and black and white streaked hair, visibly deflated at the captains order.

Reluctantly Bokuto, which was his name Akaashi later found out, followed him to an isolated section of the gym during free practice. Though Akaashi himself didn’t have any particular problems with working with the second year, Bokuto seemed intent on being as difficult as possible. From refusing to cooperate and tell Akaashi how to better improve his tosses to his liking, to going as far as ignoring any attempts the setter was at getting Bokuto to listen to reason.

And while Akaashi liked to believe that he had a reasonable amount of patience, Bokuto’s childish refusal to work with him was getting old pretty fast.

Soon enough practice was over and even though it had lasted the same hour and a half it always would, to Akaashi it lasted for seemingly forever.

After trying to get Bokuto to seriously practice with him for almost half that time, Akaashi had just about had it with the upperclassman and exhaustion came quickly in having to deal with it for so long.

He wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep this up.

It wasn’t even that Bokuto seemed like a bad person he just seemed to have an over energetic feeling to him that would almost always shut off when having anything to do with Akaashi and the prospect of working with him.

It occurs to him later as he’s changing out of his practice clothes that maybe Bokuto just didn’t like him and the idea of that actually made Akaashi kind of…sad. Albeit in an annoyed way as Bokuto was actually a pretty skilled spiker and the combinations they’d been doing had mostly ended up being all but successful.

Though if that was the case then there wasn’t much he could do about that then. If Bokuto didn’t like him then they’d just have to work around that next time.

During the next few practices Akaashi adapted a colder demeanor towards Bokuto in an attempt to at least get the message across that while they didn’t have to get along the least he could do was try and actually cooperate for a change.

The result however, ended up being that Bokuto became extremely fussy and where he’d been despondent and avoiding being of any help to making things work with Akaashi, now he seemed to be pining practically for a fraction of the attention he’d been giving the previous day.

Bokuto proved to be not only a fairly difficult person to deal with, but also a very needy one at times. During the latter Akaashi had found that his normal ability to outwardly show energy depleted much quicker than he’d ever thought possible.

He’s not sure when or if he really got used to Bokuto’s different states or if he just learned to cope with them but, with the more practice they did together the more Bokuto seemed to open up to Akaashi.

It seemed that giving the second year the cold shoulder worked out better that he’d thought, now Bokuto seemed to be intent on not only attention now but also praise from him. Something he made sure to give out sparingly but in a way that’d sate him for the time being.

Looking back on it now to say that it was because of Bokuto’s stubbornness that now Akaashi seemed to adapt a regular poker face seemed harsh but in all honesty it was true.

Only once he and Bokuto started to actually get along and they’d started having regular extra practice and meeting up at lunch Akaashi found his calm neutral facade cracking bit by bit.

The fact that Bokuto was a rather talkative person was no surprise to Akaashi when he’d found out, but the way he spoke during these times was something different entirely.

When Bokuto got off on a tangent about something, his eyes would light up and he’d be so animated using his hands and making almost wild gestures to get his point across, whatever it may be. During these moments when Akaashi would have to scarcely respond and just listen to whatever it is Bokuto had been going on about that day, just watching the display seemed almost endearing.

More often than not at times like those Akaashi had ended up unknowingly smiling at the older boys antics and felt extremely self conscious when he’d been caught doing so. Though why he did he wasn’t quite sure.

Eventually it wasn’t just that that had kept nearly breaking down Akaashi’s demeanor but also the constant wishing to be praised for nailing a good spike during practice and the appalled reaction from Bokuto when he’d been roped into teasing him with some of the other second years too had him keeping a struggling apprehensive hold on his neutral expression.

The thought to completely forgo the front comes to mind several times but as difficult as it was sometimes to keep it up Akaashi knew that without it, dealing with some of Bokuto’s more unpredictable moods became immensely more difficult.

So the poker face stayed, and Akaashi was inwardly suffering.

He’d eventually allow himself to slip up and show some sign of emotion to put it easier on himself, though it was mainly around the other teammates and usually something like a displeased or apprehensive look around Bokuto. Though even Akaashi’d admit that sometimes he’d give him a break and offer a small smile in return for one of Bokuto’s huge grins that seemed to practically light up his features.

Akaashi gets a lot of those grins and he has to fight down the urge to smile back in kind every time in more than his modest grin. Even more so he has to fight down his tendency to blush furiously when those smiles start to have a different effect on him.

He isn’t stupid and he can tell his own emotions well enough to recognize what’s happening so he doesn’t try to deny it, just hide it in hopes that it will die down with time like any previous time this had happened with a person.

Unfortunately for him, Bokuto wasn’t the most tactful person in the world and was often oblivious to his effect on others if he wasn’t doing it deliberately.

The short list of things like his quirks while rambling and affectionate friendly touches that often caught Akaashi’s resolve off guard was steadily growing. The more time they spent together whether in practice, between classes, or even the times they’d hang out after school had him becoming hyper aware of every little thing Bokuto did and he effects it had on him.

Akaashi’s previous thought to just ignore the small crush he’d been harboring for his now captain didn’t even come close to working like he’d hoped it would. What worse is that if he kept this up, Akaashi was sure he was bound to end up bursting with all his pent up feelings.

Accepting that he had a small, if it even still counted as small, crush on Bokuto was one thing, but coping with it and hoping it would just pass by was another thing entirely. As senseless as it was to think so it seemed like every little silly endearing thing Bokuto did was meant to torture him into letting his guard down and feelings out.

The biggest test of Akaashi’s ability to hold back resulted two months into the new school year after practice when the team decided to go out for food together, unanimously decided that it’d be Bokuto’s treat much to the captain’s dismay.

It had been fine at the start, they’d only gone to a convenience store not too far from the school and Akaashi had wandered off into the shelves with Bokuto when he suddenly called out to him.

“Hey! Hey, Akaashi look!”

He turned to Bokuto with a perplexed stare, tilting his head slightly to the side, a trait he still was unsure if he picked it up from Bokuto or vice versa.

The older boy made what he supposed was meant to be a coy face while keeping both hands behind his back. Akaashi had to bite the inside of his cheek to fight of an amused smile.

“What do you call an owl with a sore throat?”

Oh no. Akaashi mentally steeled himself for what was to come, because while Bokuto’s puns were rarely ever that funny the excited look on his face and the way he bounced lightly in place in anticipation for a reaction were downright adorable. It wasn’t fair.

Akaashi sighed but still answered.

“I don’t know Bokuto-san. What?”

“A bird that doesn’t give a hoot!”

That was about as good as Akaashi had expected. Which wasn’t saying much.

But given the combination of the broad grin that had broke across his face and the fact that when he’d said the pun, Bokuto had pulled out from behind his back with a flourish what seemed to be a get well card with a cartoonish owl with an ice pack on its head and a thermometer sticking out of its beak, Akaashi’s will wasn’t capable of holding out any longer.

He had to duck his head away and hurriedly walk into the next aisle leaving a confused Bokuto as he made his escape out of the store.

Only once Akaashi was certain than none of his teammates were intent on following him out he finally let himself relax and turn red with muffled giggling. The joke was terrible but Bokuto’s whole demeanor around it was enough to make him laugh.

If anyone had seen the seemingly stoic, deadpanned Akaashi Keiji doubled over in laughter, tears pricking the corners of his usually lidded eyes all because of a stupid owl pun, they’d think something was wrong in the balance of nature.

After that day Akaashi found himself having to escape to relieve himself of the pent up laughter and smiles he’d been forcing himself to hide the whole time.

This didn’t escape Bokuto however, and the now third year was beginning to worry about him. Ever since that one day when Akaashi had left the team after hearing Bokuto’s joke that he hadn’t even made up that time, he just thought that Akaashi would get a laugh out of it but all it seemed to do was upset him seeing as he left right after that.

While Bokuto was unsure of what to do to return to good terms with his underclassmen, but he knew he’d have to do something big to show Akaashi how sorry he was for…whatever it was that caused him to leave whenever Bokuto tried to show him something or ask for praise.

The thing was, both were things that Bokuto had considered a normal part of their relationship up until then. That’s what they did. Bokuto would try and do something flashy or impressive to gain even just a few words of praise from the setter. Before, Akaashi never seemed to have any problem with Bokuto’s tendencies, in fact he’d sworn a couple of times he’d catch a glimpse of Akaashi smiling at them every now and then. Something that Bokuto took with great pride considering how stone faced he usually was.

It’d been nearly a whole month since one of those rare smiles was directed at something Bokuto did and it was driving him insane. Not knowing what else to do he decided to try and stop making jokes and looking for praise from Akaashi, hopefully it would put them on good terms again and he wouldn’t feel so terrible for seemingly being the cause of Akaashi having to leave.

Meanwhile Akaashi himself was suffering. At first avoiding Bokuto was all too easy but now he kept catching the ace casting him sad and worried looks far too often. He knew he’d have to just accept things for how they were and stop avoiding the fact that his passing crush on his captain was far more than that now. Akaashi had no intention of confessing his feelings to the older boy of course but it seemed like the longer he kept this up, things only proceeded to get worse and their performance on the court was getting worse by the day.

Finally when Bokuto had managed to corner him, Akaashi’s resolve was nearly at its end.

“Hey hey hey!!” Bokuto pouted at the setter. “Ok Akaashi, I give up. I don’t know what I did wrong but I really, really am sorry so please, _please_ stop avoiding me!”

Akaashi stared at the captain wide eyed. Almost against his will he found himself noticing all the little details and habits that he’d observed over the time of their relationship. The way his brows furrowed in worry, how tightly he’d squeezed his eyes shut during his apology and how wide and hopeful they looked awaiting Akaashi’s response. How tightly he was holding onto Akaashi’s shoulders, enough to keep him in place but not so much that he couldn’t easily break away from him, the way his hands seemed to be trembling. All of these detailed seemed safe enough to notice while Akaashi kept his cool.

Until he noticed his mouth.

Bokuto’s usual wide grin was now replaced by a concerned frown. He was biting down on his bottom lip worriedly, almost hard enough to hurt from what Akaashi could tell and in that moment there was nothing he wanted more than to return them to their normal smile. Well, there was one thing he wanted more than that, but only by a small margin and that was something that Akaashi would never allow himself to do.

“Bokuto-san you-”

All too suddenly Bokuto pulled him into a tight hug, and while it wasn’t crushing like Akaashi had assumed his hugs would be, it was comforting and the way his warmth practically enveloped him made Akaashi long for nothing more than to stay like this forever.

“Please Akaashi! You have to tell me what I did wrong, I can’t handle this anymore! I don’t know why you to keep avoiding me like this, but I promise I’ll fix it!”

Akaashi was stunned at the honesty in Bokuto’s voice. A sudden warmth blooming in his chest as he smiled at the ace.

“Bokuto-san, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Bokuto pulled back, staring at him in class brisk on. Akaashi tried to ignore the initial disappointment at the sudden distance between them. “No…really? It has to be something I did, you were avoiding me all week and whenever I tried to talk to you, you’d get this really painful look on your face.”

“Painful?”

“Yeah! Like I had just pinched you or something but then you weren’t angry you were more hurt and trying to seem angry.” Bokuto searched his face for any sign that Akaashi was lying. “Why else would you be acting that way if I didn’t do something?”

Akaashi’s face flushed brightly. _Was I really being that obvious all that time? I’d thought that at least I was able to hide it somewhat._ “Well, sorry I didn’t know I was making those kinds of faces.”

“What’s going on, Akaashi? Please tell me.” Akaashi’s breath hitched at the pure desperation in Bokuto’s eyes as he pleaded. It really can’t be helped at this point can it?

Akaashi allowed himself a small genuine smile and Bokuto’s shocked expression was enough to make him have to bite back a giggle- an actual giggle.

“I’m just a little distracted lately that’s all, nothing to worry yourself about, Bokuto-san.” Bokuto’s stare is intense as he searches Akaashi’s expression for any sort of discrepancy in his story. He apparently finds it as his grip tightens a fraction.

“I want to worry though, we’re friends and teammates Akaashi, I want to make sure you’re ok.” Something in Akaashi’s chest flutters and his pulse quickens considerably. “Distracted by what though?”

Akaashi takes in a short breath as he opens his mouth to form an answer, something he can’t quite get out when his eyes drift downwards back to Bokuto’s mouth. They’re parted slightly in anticipation, waiting for Akaashi to respond already. His tongue slips out to lick his chapped lips and Akaashi feels himself swallow hard.

“Akaashi?” Bokuto prompts.

“You…”

Bokuto’s expression becomes cloudy and unreadable as his eyes glaze over. “M-me?”

“Everything about you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi takes a small step forward. “is so very, very, distracting.” They’re chests are pressed against each other now, and Akaashi is certain that Bokuto can feel his rapid heartbeat.

“Akaashi?”

“Mhm?” Akaashi’s eyes are still staring at Bokuto’s lips, now looking far more enticing than his better sense is telling him to take note of.

“I’m incredibly scared right now.”

“Don’t be…” Akaashi breathes, and in a moment of bravery he gently presses his lips against Bokuto’s.

The kiss is soft and slow as Akaashi gently glides his lips across Bokuto’s and it takes him a moment to register that the exchange is one sided. Just as he’s about to pull away dejectedly Bokuto brings up a hand to the back of Akaashi’s head to pull him closer and deepen the kiss.

Akaashi sighs contentedly and feels himself smiling before Bokuto’s tongue runs lightly along his bottom lip. He parts his lips slightly, tilting his head to a better angle as he drapes his arms loosely around Bokuto’s neck. He nips gently at Akaashi’s lips, accidentally catching the tip of his tongue in the process. Akaashi hisses softly in pain but it quickly turns into a quiet moan as Bokuto starts to suck on his tongue in apology.

Bokuto’s other hand snakes it’s way around Akaashi’s waist, fingers hooking on his uniform pants’ belt loops. He doesn’t bother pretending that he can’t feel Bokuto’s hand sneaking under his blazer and untucking the button up underneath to stroke at the bare skin under it. Akaashi in kind tugs at the collar of Bokuto’s own button up to idly trace meaningless shapes on the back of his neck, sending a shiver up Bokuto’s spine that even Akaashi can feel slightly.

Akaashi pulls back slightly to take control of the kiss as he takes Bokuto’s bottom lip into his mouth and gently sucks at it, emitting a low pleased noise from the ace that warms Akaashi to his core. His brings his other hand up to tangle in Bokuto’s gelled up hair, something he’d never openly admit he’s always wanted to do, and even with the slight stiffness Akaashi can tell that on its own it’s actually rather soft and smooth to the touch. Bokuto seems to like this as well as he eagerly presses more into the kiss trying to capture Akaashi’s lips more as if it were possible.

Bokuto’s hand reaches further up Akaashi’s back, slowly dragging his nails down it. This causes Akaashi to gasp, momentarily breaking the kiss that Bokuto’s quick to start again, roughly pressing his parted lips against Akaashi’s. It’s a drastic difference from how their kiss had started but Akaashi’s definitely not complaining with the dizzying feeling it’s giving him. His entire being feels light and airy and Akaashi can only wonder why it was he and Bokuto weren’t doing this sooner. His mind feels far away like he’s in a daze and all he can fully focus on is Bokuto’s lips.

Bokuto slows down the kiss, pulling away to leave several short and sweet pecks on Akaashi’s lips that fill him with a warm fluttery feeling deep in his stomach. Akaashi looks at him with lidded eyes and a soft smile. Bokuto can only stare at him flushed in awe. For a few moments they're only able to stare wordlessly at each other with labored breathing.

“So…” Bokuto prompts.

Akaashi’s smile widens and he’s staring at him in pure adoration. “So?”

“I…I got to admit here, I got nothing.” Akaashi doesn’t restrain his giggle this time and Bokuto’s jaw drops at the sound. “You’re…you’re amazing Akaashi.”

“You’re ok with this then?” Akaashi asks, voice suddenly more timid. When Bokuto blinks at him confused, he continues. “Me…wanting- liking you? A lot?”

Bokuto’s eyes are still glazed wide and a small smile graces his features and as much as Akaashi likes his normal wide grin, he thinks he loves this one even more.

“You like me, like a lot?” His voice is hopeful and he’s biting his lip nervously while Akaashi pretends to think about his answer.

“Like a lot of a lot, Bokuto-san.”

His smile widens and Bokuto pulls Akaashi into another warm embrace before roughly kissing him again. He presses several more softer kisses to Akaashi’s lips, his cheeks, nose, eyelids, anywhere Bokuto can reach and Akaashi’s a giggling mess all the while.

“Bokuto-! Bokuto-san! That’s enough, stop!” Akaashi laughs, trying to pull away from him. This may be the most emotion he’s freely shown in a long while since he started concealing them after meeting Bokuto. “Bokuto-sa - Koutarou! Stop!”

Bokuto does stop, but not because of Akaashi’s request. His ears are dark red and so is the back of his neck, while his eyes won’t meet Akaashi’s.

Thinking he did something wrong, Akaashi cups Bokuto’s face and forces him to face forward. “Bokuto-san? Is everything ok? …was that not all right after all?” Akaashi tries to ignore the faint twinge of sadness at the thought considering how high he’d just felt.

Bokuto doesn’t verbally respond and instead shakes his head slowly, instead choosing to gently rest it on Akaashi’s shoulder, burying his face into to crook of his neck. Akaashi shudders at the sensation of Bokuto’s breathing on his collarbone. Hesitantly he slowly starts carding a hand through Bokuto’s gelled hair. He kisses Akaashi’s neck while smiling at the action and the setter is unable to contain a shuddering sigh.

“Mhm…like this.” Bokuto says softly, wrapping his arms around Akaashi’s waist.

Akaashi smiles somewhat uneasily. “What was with that expression at first then?” Bokuto whines and further buries his face into Akaashi’s neck.

“…you called me Ko- Kout…by my first name.”

Akaashi has to bite back a laugh and just kisses the top of his captain’s head. “Mmh, I did. Did you dislike it, _Koutarou_?” Another whine escapes the third year and the warmth of his ears against Akaashi’s skin is even more prominent.

“’S not like I call you Keiji…” Bokuto pouts, pressing a lazy kiss to the now slightly red spot on Akaashi’s neck made by all of the affection Bokuto had been giving it. Akaashi stiffens at the name and is unable to recover before Bokuto can notice.

“You can…if you want to call me that, Koutarou.” Akaashi timidly whispers. In his head this all seems too good to be true, and that’s why he’s repeating like a mantra in his head, please don’t be a dream, please have this all be real.

The feeling of Bokuto’s breath on his neck, the steady thrum of their heartbeats almost in time, the dizzying rush still going through Akaashi’s mind is all so real. He doesn’t want to break away from this moment.

So when he drowsily blinks awake in the futon next to Bokuto’s bed, Akaashi feels like crying and breaking his stoic facade.

**Author's Note:**

> i firmly stand by my bokuaka blushing headcanons
> 
> also if i make more i might make these all a series of one shots. either way tell me what you think, thanks for reading!


End file.
